March 22, 2004

Same great taste, different package

Since announcing the birth of The Hardball Times, I've received tons of e-mails from readers of this blog.

Some with questions, some with comments, some with suggestions. And others with concerns. The most common of which is that people really seem to like stopping by here every day to read what I have to say and they worry about not being able to do that anymore. This is obviously a very nice thing for me to hear and I appreciate it very much.

For example, the other day I got this e-mail from a reader:

I want to wish you good luck, but I also want to comment on something...

I can understand wanting to move on to another stage, but I think with this blog that you've stumbled onto something more than just people who like your writing. Not to say that your writing isn't good, but I think part of the reason your blog was such a success was that it was:

a) a regular column, which is more than can be said for any baseball commentators on any of the popular sites such as ESPN.com, BP and even your new site. And it was a full (Gleeman-Length) column, not just random bits like most blogs. We could count on, every morning, a couple new pages of analysis, BSing, insights, and rambling.

b) highly personal. You were very much in your columns, and we felt like we were somehow special, Aaron Gleeman readers tuning into AaronGleeman.com to listen to you. The new site takes some of the magic away...

I certainly understand the feeling of intimacy that comes with reading a website like this one. Hell, it's part of the reason why I have enjoyed doing this blog so damn much. The fact that I can talk about anything and I can get the words from my keyboard to your screen without having to go through any sort of filter is a wonderful thing. It's gotten me in trouble a few times, but it's also why blogging is so much fun.

At the same time, I think the people who have sent me similar e-mails to the one above are overreacting just a bit. While it's true that my involvement here will be less than it was previously, that doesn't mean my overall writing will become less frequent. I will be doing a daily column over at The Hardball Times, just as I did a daily column here. And the content will be no different, trust me.

For those of you afraid I'll stop rambling or BSing, let me remind you that yesterday's THT column began with me professing my love for Scarlett Johansson, moved on to me mocking Rey Ordonez, and ended with me talking about the Minnesota Twins. I really don't think that's any different than the type of stuff I've been writing here for the past two years.

In other words, if you liked stopping by here every day, you're going to like stopping by THT every day just as much. My writing will still be there, there will still be just as much of it as there was here, and it'll be just as good (or bad). Plus, there'll be the added bonus of a bunch of other good articles from other good writers being there too.

*****Comments? Questions? Email me!*****

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